Arroyo House
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Client: Arroyo House
Location: Sedona, AZ
Date: completion 2010
This four-bedroom home is designed for a dynamic yet comforting experience. It is tucked away in a pinion forest, and the surrounding wilderness is captured and conveyed to the living spaces. While being modern, smooth and sleek in character, the home engages the rugged, natural setting.
The property is far down a hillside below the street. To lessen the steepness of the driveway and to elevate the primary spaces above of the treetops, the design places the main level and garage on the second level of the home. The structure fits under the height codes stretched to the zoning maximums by applying available alternate standards. The mono-pitched roofs, while favored by the owners, are the most effective shape on the hillside to achieve the highest ceilings and the tallest windows for the mountain views. The roof shapes match the slope and the corresponding strict height restrictions on the hillside.
Art in the design abounds, some in subtle ways. The windows are an example. Like most fine architectural elements, the windows are mufti-purpose. While their craft is obvious, their art is to fully capture the views and present the scene in a dynamic way. At the main dining room window as viewed from the main entry, the aperture opens large for a telephoto effect that frames and captures the enormous views. The window connects the viewer with the scene to a
higher degree than would be experienced without this frame.
Windows and walls are positioned to provide privacy, utility, day-lighting, views and airiness. And the porches, decks and courtyard provide for enjoying all the changing seasons with varying degrees of privacy and sunshine.
The interior spaces are designed to contrastfrom soaring and energizing to embracing, supporting and protecting. All interior finishes are composed and selected by the owner. At the interior, the grays and whites of the floors, walls and ceilings play with the light and dark stained woods similar to the way the cool-color of the trees contrasts with the warm-colored red rocks.
The exterior colors and textures of the stone, timber rafters, windows and stucco finish pull the predominate gray and green colors on the presiding rugged mountain down to the home. This provides a contrast and relief from the red desert floor – similar to a sculpture on a display base. And, symbiotically, the home’s color compositions actually enhance the vivid, red-desert experience.